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Bit 8 in word 128 of the IDENTIFY response shows which mode the disk is in: 0 = High, 1 = Maximum. The standard does not distinguish this value.Ī disk can be locked in two modes: High security mode or Maximum security mode.
#Secure erase mac ssd password
Reportedly on some disks a value of 0xFFFE means the Master password is unchanged.
#Secure erase mac ssd code
The revision code is word 92 in the IDENTIFY response.
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Reportedly some disks can report if the Master password has been changed, or if it still the factory default. Most disks support a Master Password Revision Code. If a disk is locked, it will refuse all access until it is unlocked.Ī disk always has two passwords: A User password and a Master password. The disk lock can be enabled and disabled by sending special ATA commands to the drive. It is part of the ATA specification, and thus not specific to any brand or device. The disk lock is a built-in security feature in the disk. Here is a section from wikipedia describing the ATA Password feature: This is because the drive is security locked and is not accessible. I tried running the Intel SSD Toolbox, it recognizes the drive (just like Device Manager does) but secure erase fails.
#Secure erase mac ssd windows
This prevents Windows (or whatever OS) from initializing the drive/partitions and allowing me to do anything to the drive. I don't have the password so when I ignore the prompt and boot into windows the drive is in a security locked state.
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You can also try the Terminal app, though it’s a command-line tool that requires you to be a bit geeky. If for any reason Disk Utility fails to wipe your drive. Wipe External Hard Drive on Mac via Terminal (Command Line) It’s because SSDs don’t have to go through this process due to the way it manages files. Note: If your drive is an SSD, you won’t be able to click “Security Options” as this option will be grayed out.
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Once you use any of the methods below, the drive will be completely erased and all data will be removed permanently. Warning: Before you proceed, make sure you’ve already backed up all your important data.
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The guide should work with all types of external disks, including hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive ( SSD) or a flash drive. So you just got a new external hard drive, and wanted to sell or donate your old one? Or your current external drive just got over-cluttered, and you want to completely wipe it out to regain all the storage space?Įither way, in this article we are going to show you two different ways to securely erase an external drive on a Mac computer (iMac, MacBook, etc.).
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